ETHYLPARABEN
Fragrance Ingredient; Preservative
Also listed as
BENZOIC ACID, 4-HYDROXY-, ETHYL ESTER; ETHYL 4-HYDROXYBENZOATE; ETHYL P-HYDROXYBENZOATE; ETHYL PARAHYDROXYBENZOATE; 4-HYDROXYBENZOIC ACID, ETHYL ESTER; ETHYLPARABEN, POTASSIUM SALT; BENZOIC ACID, 4-HYDROXY-, ETHYL ESTER, SODIUM SALT; ETHYL P-HYDROXYBENZOATE SODIUM SALT; ETHYLPARABEN, SODIUM SALT; 4-HYDROXYBENZOIC ACID, ETHYL ESTER, SODIUM SALT; ETHYL ESTER BENZOIC ACID, 4-HYDROXY-
Given the incomplete information made available by companies and the government, EWG provides additional information on personal care product ingredients from the published scientific literature. The chart below indicates that research studies have found that exposure to this ingredient -- not the products containing it -- caused the indicated health effect(s) in the studies reviewed by Skin Deep researchers. Actual health risks, if any, will vary based on the level of exposure to the ingredient and individual susceptibility -- information not available in Skin Deep.
| This ingredient: | |
 | Cancer |
| Developmental/reproductive toxicity |
 | Restrictions & warnings |
 | Allergies/immunotoxicity |
| Contamination concerns |
| Other moderate concerns for this ingredient: Endocrine disruption |
| Lesser or emerging concerns for this ingredient: Neurotoxicity, Organ system toxicity (non-reproductive), Data gaps |
|
See products containing ETHYLPARABEN | |
About ETHYLPARABEN: Ethylparaben is the ester of ethyl alcohol and p-hydroxybenzoic acid. It conforms to theformula:
ETHYLPARABEN has reported used in the following product types: facial moisturizer/treatment (340); anti-aging (257); foundation (236); moisturizer (199); mascara (186); eye shadow (173); hair color and bleaching (147); sunscreen: makeup (119); facial cleanser (114); around-eye cream (102)
Endocrine disruption
| type of concern | product conditions | reference |
| Human endocrine disruptor - strong evidence | European Commission on Endocrine Disruption | |
| One or more studies show significant wildlife and the environment disruption | European Commission on Endocrine Disruption | |
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Allergies/immunotoxicity
| type of concern | product conditions | reference |
| Human skin toxicant - strong evidence | Schamberg, 1967;Soni, 2001 | |
| show more | ||
Neurotoxicity
| type of concern | product conditions | reference |
| One or more animal studies show brain, nervous system, or behavioral effects at moderate doses | RTECS®- Journal of the American Pharmaceutical Association, Scientific Edition 1956 |
Cancer
| type of concern | product conditions | reference |
| One or more in vitro tests on mammalian cells show positive mutation results | RTECS®- Gann Monograph on Cancer Research 1981 | |
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Organ system toxicity (non-reproductive)
| type of concern | product conditions | reference |
| One or more animal studies show broad systemic effects at moderate doses (low dose studies may be unavailable for this ingredient) | RTECS®- Drug Standards 1952 | |
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Developmental/reproductive toxicity
| type of concern | product conditions | reference |
| One or more animal studies show reproductive effects at high doses | RTECS®- Acta Obstetrica et Gynaecologica Japonica, English Edition 1975 |
Data gaps
| type of concern | product conditions | reference |
| Risk assessment method deficiencies and data gaps - Maximum reported "as used" concentration is basis of safety assessment by industry safety panel (Cosmetic Ingredient Review, CIR) - implicit safe concentration limit in product | Cosmetic Ingredient Review Assessments | |
| 56 studies in PubMed science library may include information on the toxicity of this chemical see search results -> | PubMed |
Persistence and bioaccumulation
| type of concern | product conditions | reference |
| Not suspected to be persistent | Environment Canada Domestic Substance List | |
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Ecotoxicology
| type of concern | product conditions | reference |
| Not suspected to be an environmental toxin | Environment Canada Domestic Substance List |
Government, industry, academic studies and classifications
| government/industry list/academic study | appears on list as | classification(s) |
| Cosmetic Ingredient Review Assessments | ETHYLPARABEN | •Safe as used in cosmetics according to industry panel (Cosmetic Ingredient Review, CIR) •Maximum reported "as used" concentration is basis of safety assessment by industry safety panel (Cosmetic Ingredient Review, CIR) - implicit safe concentration limit in product |
| Schamberg, 1967;Soni, 2001 | ETHYLPARABEN | •Skin sensitizer - can instigate immune system response that can include itching, burning, scaling, hives, and blistering of skin |
| European Commission on Endocrine Disruption | ETHYL 4-HYDROXYBENZOATE | •Evidence of endocrine disrupting activity in at least one species using intact animals, high human health concern. •Evidence of endocrine disrupting activity in at least one species using intact animals, high human concern. |
| Environment Canada Domestic Substance List | BENZOIC ACID, 4-HYDROXY-, ETHYL ESTER | •This chemical was NOT flagged by CEPA for further attention. |
| Environment Canada Domestic Substance List | BENZOIC ACID, 4-HYDROXY-, ETHYL ESTER, SODIUM SALT | •This chemical was NOT flagged by CEPA for further attention. |
| IFRA Fragrance Ingredient List | BENZOIC ACID, 4-HYDROXY-, ETHYL ESTER | •The chemical has been reported as used in fragrance compounds by IFRA affiliated member companies in 2008. |
| Byford JR, Shaw LE, Drew MG, Pope GS, Sauer MJ, Darbre PD, 2002 | PARABENS | •Hormonally active (parabens) |
| Harvell, J, 1994 | PARABENS | Parabens listed as one of the agents capable of causing contact urticaria by immunological pathogenetic mechanism. |
| RTECS®- Acta Obstetrica et Gynaecologica Japonica, English Edition 1975 | ETHYLPARABEN | • reproductive - Other developmental abnormalities (rat TDLo) |
| RTECS®- Bromatologia i Chemia Toksykologiczna 1981 | ETHYLPARABEN | • broad systemic - Broad systemic toxicity (mouse LD50) |
| RTECS®- Drug Standards 1952 | ETHYLPARABEN | • broad systemic - Broad systemic toxicity (mouse LD50) |
| RTECS®- Eisei Shikenjo Hokoku 1978 | ETHYLPARABEN | • mutagenic - Positive mutation assay: Cytogenetic Analysis (hamster fbr) |
| RTECS®- Eisei Shikenjo Hokoku 1978 | ETHYLPARABEN | • mutagenic - Positive mutation assay: Cytogenetic Analysis (hamster fbr) |
| RTECS®- FAO Nutrition Meetings Report Series 1974 | ETHYLPARABEN | • broad systemic - Broad systemic toxicity (guinea pig LD50) |
| RTECS®- Gann Monograph on Cancer Research 1981 | ETHYLPARABEN | • mutagenic - Positive mutation assay: Cytogenetic Analysis (hamster lng) |
| RTECS®- Gann Monograph on Cancer Research 1981 | ETHYLPARABEN | • mutagenic - Positive mutation assay: Cytogenetic Analysis (hamster lng) |
| RTECS®- Journal of the American Pharmaceutical Association, Scientific Edition 1956 | ETHYLPARABEN | • metabolic - Weight loss or decreased weight gain (rat TDLo) • brain, nervous system, or behavioral effect - Ataxia (mouse LD50) • broad systemic - Broad systemic toxicity (mouse LD50) • brain, nervous system, or behavioral effect - Flaccid paralysis without anesthesia (usually neuromuscular blockage) (mouse LD50) • brain, nervous system, or behavioral effect - Somnolence (general depressed activity) (mouse LD50) |
| RTECS®- Zentralblatt fuer Bakteriologie, Parasitenkunde, Infektionskrankheiten und Hygiene, Abteilung II 1959 | ETHYLPARABEN | • mutagenic - Positive mutation assay: Mutation in Micro-organism (Escherichia coli ) |
| RTECS®- Zentralblatt fuer Bakteriologie, Parasitenkunde, Infektionskrankheiten und Hygiene, Abteilung II 1959 | ETHYLPARABEN | • mutagenic - Positive mutation assay: Mutation in Micro-organism (Escherichia coli ) |
references
| government/industry list/academic study | reference |
| Cosmetic Ingredient Review Assessments | CIR (Cosmetic Ingredient Review). 2006. CIR Compendium, containing abstracts, discussions, and conclusions of CIR cosmetic ingredient safety assessments. Washington DC. |
| EWG Assessment of Open Scientific Literature | Schamberg, 1967;Soni, 2001 |
| European Commission on Endocrine Disruption | EU (European Union)- Strategy for Endocrine Disrupters 2007. Commision on endocrin disruption requested by the European Parliament in 1998. |
| Environment Canada Domestic Substance List | EC (Environment Canada). 2008. Domestic Substances List Categorization. Canadian Environmental Protection Act (CEPA) Environmental Registry. |
| IFRA Fragrance Ingredient List | IFRA (International Fragrance Assocication). 2010. IFRA Fragrance Ingredient List based on 2008 Use Survey. Accessed online 01/04/2010: http://www.ifraorg.org/Home/News/Latest-News/page.aspx/66?xf_itemId=43&xf_selectionDatapartId=25 |
| EWG Assessment of Open Scientific Literature | Byford JR, Shaw LE, Drew MG, Pope GS, Sauer MJ, Darbre PD. Oestrogenic activity of parabens in MCF7 human breast cancer cells. J Steroid Biochem Mol Biol. 2002 Jan;80(1):49-60. |
| Open scientific literature | Harvell, J., M. Bason and H. Maibach. Contact Urticaria and its Mechanisms. Food Chemistry and Toxicology 32(2): 103-112. 1994. (Table 2: Substances identified as capable of causing contact urticaria). |
| RTECS®- Acta Obstetrica et Gynaecologica Japonica, English Edition 1975 | RTECS®- Acta Obstetrica et Gynaecologica Japonica, English Edition. (Tokyo, Japan) V.16-23, 1969-76. For publisher information, see NISFAY. 22,94,1975 |
| RTECS®- Bromatologia i Chemia Toksykologiczna 1981 | RTECS®- Bromatologia i Chemia Toksykologiczna. (Ars Polona, POB 1001, 00-068 Warsaw 1, Poland) V.4- -1971 14,301,1981 |
| RTECS®- Drug Standards 1952 | RTECS®- Drug Standards. (Washington, DC) V.19-28, 1951-60. For publisher information, see JPMSAE. 20,89,1952 |
| RTECS®- Eisei Shikenjo Hokoku 1978 | RTECS®- Eisei Shikenjo Hokoku. Bulletin of the Institute of Hygienic Sciences. (Kokuritsu Eisei Shikenjo Kagaku, 18-1 Bushitsu Johobu, Setagaya-ku, Tokyo 158, Japan) V.1- 1886- (96),55,1978 |
| RTECS®- Eisei Shikenjo Hokoku 1978 | RTECS®- Eisei Shikenjo Hokoku. Bulletin of the Institute of Hygienic Sciences. (Kokuritsu Eisei Shikenjo Kagaku, 18-1 Bushitsu Johobu, Setagaya-ku, Tokyo 158, Japan) V.1- (96),55,1978 |
| RTECS®- FAO Nutrition Meetings Report Series 1974 | RTECS®- FAO Nutrition Meetings Report Series. (Rome, Italy) No.?-57, 1948-77. Discontinued. 53A,81,1974 |
| RTECS®- Gann Monograph on Cancer Research 1981 | RTECS®- Gann Monograph on Cancer Research. (Plenum Pub. Corp., 233 Spring St., New York, NY 10013) No. 11- 1971- 27,95,1981 |
| RTECS®- Gann Monograph on Cancer Research 1981 | RTECS®- Gann Monograph on Cancer Research. (Plenum Pub. Corp., 233 Spring St., New York, NY 10013) No. 11- 27,95,1981 |
| RTECS®- Journal of the American Pharmaceutical Association, Scientific Edition 1956 | RTECS®- Journal of the American Pharmaceutical Association, Scientific Edition. (Washington, DC) V.29-49, 1940-60. For publisher information, see JPMSAE. 45,260,1956 |
| RTECS®- Zentralblatt fuer Bakteriologie, Parasitenkunde, Infektionskrankheiten und Hygiene, Abteilung II 1959 | RTECS®- Zentralblatt fuer Bakteriologie, Parasitenkunde, Infektionskrankheiten und Hygiene, Abteilung II. Naturwissenschaftliche: Allgemeine, Landwirtschaftliche und Technische Mikrobiologie. (Jena, Ger. Dem. Rep.) V.107-132, 1952-77. 112,226,1959 |
| RTECS®- Zentralblatt fuer Bakteriologie, Parasitenkunde, Infektionskrankheiten und Hygiene, Abteilung II 1959 | RTECS®- Zentralblatt fuer Bakteriologie, Parasitenkunde, Infektionskrankheiten und Hygiene, Abteilung II. Naturwissenschaftliche: Allgemeine, Landwirtschaftliche und Technische Mikrobiologie. (Jena, Ger. Dem. Rep.) V.107-132, 1952-77. 112,226,1959 |
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